Florida authorities have found the body of a 2-year-old boy who was dragged off by an alligator Tuesday night at Disney resort.

The Nebraska toddler was playing in the water on a beach area near Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at 9:16 p.m. Tuesday when the alligator snatched him and dragged him underwater in front of his horrified parents. The father tried to get his son back, but wasn't able to, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said.

Demings said the boy's body was found at about 1:45 p.m. ET Wednesday, and the remains were fully recovered at about 3:30 p.m.

The grisly discovery brought to a close a search that involved more than 50 law enforcement officials, including Marine units who relied on sonar equipment to look for the boy in the lake. Initially a search-and-rescue operation, Demings said at a noon press conference there was "no question" the boy was dead after so many hours underwater and that the hunt had turned into a recovery effort.

But he had vowed to continue searching until the boy's body was found.

"I just happen to have a 2-year-old grandson, so for me, this is a very human experience that we are talking about, where we are dealing with this family now who there's no question will lose a 2-year-old child," he said.

The family was visiting the Seven Seas Lagoon from Nebraska, according to Demings, and was identified as Matt and Melissa Graves. The two-year-old was Lane Graves.

The alligator was described as between four and seven feet long. Nick Wiley, executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, had said earlier Wednesday that at least five alligators had been trapped and euthanized for analysis. He told reporters it wasn't possible to examine the alligators without killing them first.

"They have to be euthanized to be analyzed," he said, adding that his agency has a "very good, close working relationship" with Disney to remove nuisance alligators.

Jeff Williamson, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff's Office, said Wednesday morning the signs didn't specify why swimming was prohibited.

"All we know is that [the boy] was on the edge of the water," Williamson said. "My understanding is that he wasn't swimming."

His family members alerted a nearby lifeguard after the attack, and authorities were called. The boy's parents then "diligently tried to get the child," Demings said.

Officials said the boy's parents had been undergoing counseling since the incident, and Disney was "doing everything they can do to make the family comfortable," Demings said.

Jacquee Wahler, vice president of Walt Disney World Resort, said Wednesday morning: "Everyone here at the Walt Disney World Resort is devastated by this tragic accident. Our thoughts are with the family. We are helping the family and doing everything we can to assist law enforcement."

Disney closed all beaches, ferry boats, and marinas until further notice.

There have been at least 41 unprovoked "major" alligator attacks in Florida since 2010, according to the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission records. At least two deaths in 2015 were the result of alligator attacks.

A swimmer in Blue Spring State Park was killed in an attack in October, and a burglary suspect in Brevard County is believed to have been killed in November as he hid from police, according to the commission and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Earlier this month, an alligator was seen carrying a dead man in its jaws in Lakeland, Florida, 60 miles southwest of Orlando, although it appeared the man had died before the alligator got a hold of him.

But alligator attacks at Disney are almost unheard of because the resort staff "have worked diligently to make sure their guests are not unduly exposed to the wildlife" that are indigenous to Florida, Demings said.

While Tuesday's attack is the first at the Seven Seas Lagoon, in 1986, an alligator grabbed an 8-year-old boy between its teeth at Walt Disney World's Fort Wilderness, according to the Orlando Sentinel archives. Paul Santamaria, of Bristol, New Hampshire, was able to escape with lacerations and puncture wounds after his 10-year-old brother beat the gator with his hands and his 12-year-old sister pulled him out.

The seven-foot-4-inch alligator then slipped back into the pond it had slithered out of, the Sentinel reported.